DIY: Modern Stairs Makeover with Custom Square Bullnoses

[@DadandSonDIY]

If you guys enjoyed the video, please make sure to subscribe with notifications turned on so you stay up to date with the channel. Thanks! Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 0:30 Removing Carpet & Padding 1:05 Removing Bullnose 3:42 Installing Risers 7:22 Building New Bullnose 16:36 Installing Treads 20:13 Finishing Touches

[@temanalysis1270]

Great job!

[@TheBubbaWilks]

Best DIY video on youtube, keep up the hard work

[@charliemartin4392]

Buddy, appreciate your father for the skills and time he's giving to you. Not every papa is even close to this. Great job you 2. And you dad is a Bosch man, so he's knows his stuff.

[@Spurioushamster]

This video has solved a problem I've been scratching my head over for a couple of weeks. Great video, it's nice to see people take the effort to do a job properly.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Appreciate the comment Phil!

[@drizzle666]

That measurement tool for the riser is genius

[@DadandSonDIY]

It's really easy to build too!

[@chrishinkle1764]

Wow, spectacular! The bullnose part alone was a significant project in its own right.

[@alessandrocirulli586]

Hands down the highest quality DIY video I’ve ever seen. I really appreciated the 3-D models as well!

[@DadandSonDIY]

Glad you liked it!

[@HelenAMyers]

Thank you. Rehabbing a Townhome to Sale .

[@carmenbarlow1746]

You made that so much harder than it had to be

[@TheBubbaWilks]

Ya’ll did a great job with this project and video! I respect your passion to do your work the right way without taking any shortcuts. Its funny how that can include covering up (putty) any cuts that didnt work out. The videography was great too, this video and your passion inspired me while I was doing a stairs makeover myself. Keep up the hard work!

[@dmech5135]

I do this for a living and I don't know why I'm watching..lol. Great work guy and awesome video.

[@cesar0610]

Fantastic job, and great your son learn the amazing woodworking job

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thank you very much!

[@PriyaKesavan]

Excellent video.. Thanks a bunch. Hope the bull nose edges were smooth and easy to walk on..

[@Rastameister]

Hi. You are talented with video production and editing and the flashing highlight color just took it over the top. This is probably one of the best I've see in a DIY video tutorial. Thank-you.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Gald you enjoyed the video! We've got plenty more content on the channel just like this.

[@mattbram8993]

So cool you guys do this together! Good video production too. I’m subscribing just to see what else you come up with!

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks Matt! We really appreciate the support.

[@samng870]

what a great video and tutorial! this is something i was looking to do and this tutorial gives me that confidence to follow along.

[@alancongratssoonyoullhead5273]

Beautiful job 👍🏼 Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@JayZx777]

Windows Phone shirt is priceless LOL, great video!

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks so much!

[@claud2go]

Thank you for the additional visuals it was helpful

[@mr6602]

Excellent video - picked up some great tips too.

[@jackiem.dearroyo8739]

Wow, very good job! Thanks for sharing.

[@cathysnook9136]

Thank you for sharing

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks for watching Cathy!

[@kinghan26]

Great Video Adit! If only you made this earlier cuz my dad messed up our stairs😅

[@jmtm82]

LAMO!

[@DadandSonDIY]

If only you told me about your dad's plans, we could have stepped in and helped out! 😝

[@troywthompson1820]

Fantastic video. Exactly what I was looking for. Good job guys.

[@ileanamorales1384]

Excellent Wonderful work ! Thank you for sharing.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thank you for watching!

[@dumbdumber1885]

Excellent video and high quality workmanship from what I could see :) As a basic entry level diy person I would never attemp a square bullnose with engineered h/w flooring and I tuned right out when you started mixing glue and sawdust. You guys could've choosen ANY other bullnose and done a bang up job in half the time with half the stress IMHO. Remember KISS :) That said I think you guys are highly talented and did a superb video here and my hats off to you for coming up with the idea sticking it out till the end.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Glad you enjoyed the video! We were also a bit disappointed that our seams didn't meet up and we had to use filler. Not a problem with the bit or the idea though, we just didn't take enough time setting up the bit.

[@LHAGYALO258]

good job

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks, Tenzin!

[@rodericfabian1785]

Very well done video. You make it very clear.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks Roderic!

[@mikehawk6775]

Great video

[@1painter4hire]

Wow Guys!! Nice Job !! On the stairs aswell as video. Great Work ..

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the project!

[@makersmind]

great video !!!

[@jcx5659]

Curious to see how these right angle corners hold up. Seems like it will be an issue in no time.

[@tonypolito8930]

Nice Job, very nice!

[@DadandSonDIY]

Thank you!

[@freezerlunik]

Excellent video! but... woah, that is a lot of work! I am contemplating just getting wooden treads with bullnose edge and staining to match. Routing miter joints for the bullnose is waaaaaaay beyond my skill and capability.

[@mrphantastic_]

How has the corners holding up on the stair nose 3 years later?

[@dropswitch4121]

Great video. I'm curious why not remove and replace the tread and riser instead of trimming the existing bullnose and going over top of it.

[@DadandSonDIY]

We wanted the stairs to match the wood flooring in the basement exactly, and we felt the only way to do that was to use the same wood, which would need support (the pre-existing tread). Most contractors do this same process while installing wood on stairs, with the exception of the square bullnose (that's custom, though maybe some would be willing to do that).

[@mrphantastic_]

This video game me hope as my engineered floor does not offer stair nose trims. Are you able to share the dimensions of each piece for the bull nose?

[@aarabekailayanathan3531]

great video

[@DadandSonDIY]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bartseller8601]

The only thing I would have considered is the bottom riser keeping it the same height as all the other risers therefore installing it first before the landing. That way to the eye they all match up equally. Hope that makes sense LOL 🙂

[@DadandSonDIY]

We were concerned about that at first too. However, it really isn't noticeable unless you go up and measure it with a tape measure.

[@JonEmerson]

I have not understood the attraction to treads butting up against risers when you can avoid it. (Though I think most pro's do it this way. Certainly the jig you used, that's how most people do it, and they don't usually account for riser width.) You usually look down on stairs. In my view, it's better if the risers cover the treads, so you can't see into the seams. But yes this means alternating between working on risers and treads, which is probably why people don't do it. It's slower.

[@Oliapgh]

I wonder if I can just use construction glue like Locktite PL 3x without nails?

[@shashikumaarb]

By far this is one of the best DIY video I have seen, got few questions. how long did the stairs project take? I am thinking of installing Laminate does it need gluing? My townhouse is 6 years old how do I make sure that the stairs match with how it’s shown in the video? I see that the carpet at the nose slants to the bottom of the stair. Should I rip the carpet and check? What is your opinion on Laminate cap a thread?

[@DadandSonDIY]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Let me try to address all of your questions. 1. The project took a while to plan out, but we were able to complete it within a week. 2. Yes, you will still need to adhere your laminate flooring to the subfloor. 3. Go for it! Ripping out the carpet is the first step. 4. Not 100% sure what you mean here.

[@shamrock4500]

very nice

[@alcubierre-drive]

What software did you use for the 3D modeling?

[@Genno1012]

You need a sliding compound miter saw

[@DadandSonDIY]

The table saw sled worked fine :)

[@MisterDimos]

Looks great and well explained! I'm going to need to create something similar here in the near future. So, its been a year, has there been any repairs needed? How has the overall feel for the stairs? Thank you!!

[@shibubasheer]

Wouldn't the sharp square corners of bullnose stub your toe or hurt on a small fall for kids ?

[@guyc66]

Great job! The end result looks awesome.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Glad you like it as much as we do!

[@jesser9134]

How are the bullnose ends holding up? I'm very surprised to not find any options for engineered and flush bullnose.

[@DadandSonDIY]

They are actually holding up very well. Some brands do sell round bullnoses for their engineered flooring, but many don't, and most don't have a square option.

[@sjk6500]

Great job! I have a fundamental question. The stairs are already made of wood, so why not use the wood as it is, and put additional wood on it?

[@DadandSonDIY]

The "wood" on our stairs is actually a strand board called OSB. Really it's a fake wood that is commonly used in construction and looks ugly. Also, we wanted the stairs to match our basement floor, and using the same engineered hardwood flooring allowed us to do that!

[@sjk6500]

@@DadandSonDIY Oh, I totally understand. Thank you so much!

[@cassv350]

You should have purchased solid wood and rounded the edges and stain the hard wood to match.... even tho I appreciate your effort. It was enjoyable to watch the end result will not reflect all your good effort, mainly because it will be unstable in 1mo or so. Its just a bad design because it will not be able to sustain the weight thats applied daily. In the end you will repeat all those steps for every step or you will start over with real wood and just round the edges But I do like your enthusiasm. Great video.

[@CarlosRivera-ig1py]

👍

[@AbuArabz]

Amazing job guys.. I like the idea of the bull nozing, I learned from you something new.. I just have a question, at the floor section - not the stairs - why you used Roberts glue? I mean is it better or just staples or nails?

[@DadandSonDIY]

Gluing and nailing/stapling give nearly identical results, and are both techniques used by professionals. However, nailing/stapling takes a lot of room, due to the flooring nail gun which can't be used close to walls. While this isn't an issue for larger projects, it made more sense for us to glue down the boards on our small landing in the middle of the stairs.

[@jasonzupke1474]

I hope you can get two stairs out of one piece, or you will have to do one of those for all 11 stairs.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Depends on the length of your boards. On some of our stairs, we were able to cut a 6' board in half and get 2 usable pieces, but for some, we cut a 4' board down and used the offcut for something else.

[@briankrahenbuhl4975]

You can have these kind of custom noses professionally made (with a professionally mitered edge of course😉) #SaltyCustomVinyl

[@michaelgallagher5314]

The flooring you used looks exactly like what I just installed in our house. I am now getting ready to do the stairs, but have already purchased oak blanks. What was the stain colors you used when touching up the exposed edges?

[@DadandSonDIY]

We use weathered gray and walnut stain colors

[@michaelgallagher5314]

@@DadandSonDIY thank you

[@juansanchez5402]

My son left me today. He was 12, and he decided that he would rather fend for himself on the streets than live with me. He said I was too sad to be around, and when the tears began to flood down my face, he simply turned and left without another word. This video saved my life, I didn’t think I could live without my son, but you have restored my will to live. I am forever grateful.

[@conorbennett9423]

Gay 😂

[@windowlicker1305]

@@conorbennett9423 hahahahaha

[@theapprentice1302]

🥺

[@darlyyulie09]

🎻

[@geoken2]

is there a reason you cut the existing noses? I watched some other videos and they left the noses and then made the cuts in their material to wrap around the existing noses. Just wondering what the pros and cons of doing it each way are.

[@DadandSonDIY]

You will get a more secure fit removing the preexisting bullnoses, letting you customize the height of the new bullnose. It's also arguably less work. However, you may want to make the cuts on your materials instead if you don't have a good way to remove the existing bullnoses.

[@marcodeluca4068]

The only objection is the corner part of the bullnose if they are too square no radius they will eventually chip or break off

[@DadandSonDIY]

It has a 1/4" round over and hasn't had any wear so far. Also, we have seen similar stairs installed in new homes by professionals, so it's not that uncommon.

[@kobic1509]

I’m just gonna take a wild guess here and correct me if I’m wrong...your dad installs/did install hardwood floors as a profession?

[@DadandSonDIY]

Haha nope! We are just hobbyists!

[@Jessersadler]

seems like gluing it to the original bull nose would have save time, material.

[@DadandSonDIY]

Gluing it to the original bullnose would be difficult because of the curvature, and not as secure. Also wrapping around the original bullnose would result in a much thicker nosing than we prefer.

[@jodigr]

This might be a dumb question but do you need underlayment when using laminate on stairs or does the Glue work as a moisture barrier?

[@DadandSonDIY]

This is definitely not a dumb question. The engineered wood that we used (with a wooden top veneer, not laminate) was installed on a wood subfloor so we didn't need a moisture barrier. If you are applying the flooring on concrete you might need a different adhesive than we used, depending on your floor's moisture level.

[@jodigr]

@@DadandSonDIY thanks. I’m excited to try this. It should be fine with regular laminate too?

[@DadandSonDIY]

@@jodigr It would depend on the material used underneath the top layer. If that is plywood or MDF, like ours, the process should be fine. However, if your boards are made entirely out of plastic, you might need different tools to cut and glue them. Also, there might be a challenge staining the rounded edges.

[@hasserecht3678]

why didn't you just use the multitool in the first place, instead of the prybar?

[@DadandSonDIY]

It was easier to use the prybar to remove the majority of the material first to get more clearance for the multitool, though you are right, the prybar wasn't necessary,.

[@naomisnow8292]

Hello adit

[@DadandSonDIY]

Hello Naomi

[@turangulsen3537]

👍👍

[@ayanaherbert6115]

Where do you get the flooring from?

[@DadandSonDIY]

Those were purchased locally.

[@macleanclassics]

2:51 , cuts his foot off when the saw binds....

[@DadandSonDIY]

You're right that could have been dangerous. Thanks for the kind message! 🥴

[@jodigr]

what angle is your table saw when removing the tongue edges?

[@DadandSonDIY]

We started cutting the tongues with the blade vertically but switched to cutting them at 25 degrees off 90 (65 degrees) to reduce the work for the router later.

[@jodigr]

@@DadandSonDIY thank-you and sorry for all the questions. what method of installation did you use for the main floor? staples, glue, floating?

[@DadandSonDIY]

​@@jodigr The main floor was floated. We have an entire video dedicated to that on our channel if you are interested. On the stairs, we used adhesive and nailed the boards down.

[@jodigr]

Thank you answering my questions. Once last question, the mitre bit in the link, is it the first one? A 1/2 “ shank locking mitre bit?

[@jodigr]

Nvm. I picked up the 1 1/2, 1/2” 1/4 shank mitre bit today

[@sanchomendoza315]

Dangerous use of rip saw. Watch your fingers or used another piece of wood to push it through

[@gregchoma7693]

Nosings not bullnoses. No such thing as a square bullnose either. Bullnose nosing is a thing because a bullnose is a rounded shape. You cut off the bullnose nosings and replaced them with square nosings.

[@DadandSonDIY]

The exact terminology isn't immensely important but good catch.